After being burned out on Prince following the Crystal Ball fiasco I took a looooong break from listening to or following him. I also have to admit all the stories about his personal life/personality and the "slave" silliness (low tolerance for a self-pitying multi-millionaire) really took a toll on how I felt about the dude. Long story short I decided to take a chance on "Art Official Age" after "The Breakdown" was released as a single. THAT was the Prince I remember. I got the album and didn't like it very much first, second or fifth but it grew on me, which started me on going backwards and checking out the albums over the past 15 years. You know there really isn't any poor music -just perhaps too much "very good" rather than "great" material. I honestly believe if Prince had not over saturated the market with music his post WB career would be esteemed higher. You know Emancipation as one disc, albums spread out more....

A couple other artists come to mind when I think of Prince now.

Michael Jackson. Still damn good until the day he died but can anything he did really touch the Off The Wall thru Dangerous period?

Bruce Springsteen still damn good but can anything really touch his 1973-1984 period?

Prince is still damn good, damnit!

I forgive him for "HitNRun" and look forward to the next. (How nobile of me yes )

[Edited 12/1/15 19:43pm]

He doesn't, not as much as he does back in the day

214 said:

He doesn't, not as much as he does back in the day

Huh --- you don't seem to grasp the meaning of "still has it".

As in, "Maybe Prince isn't the hugest musical force in the universe as he was in 1984, but in 2015, he still possess a decent amount of that essence he had. He still has it."

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

funksterr said:

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

While I think LoveSexy was the final stroke in his genius streak what you say about his music being DOA is crazy. The very album after LoveSexy was a huge commercial hit. Over 5 million sold worldwide- his best since Purple Rain. Artitiscally? Well, yeah he streamlined his approach to a more commercial viable sound but remember LoveSexy was considered somewhat of a flop commercially so he had every right to want to be back on top. So the movie boosted sales, ok. Yes Graffiti Bridge was a fun album but the wretched movie doomed it. Yet Prince bounced back in a big way with Diamonds And Pearls (double platinum plus USA/Over 5 million worldwide) and the hot streak was still going when he started bitching about his record label. Prince ruined his own career as a hitmaker but his music was not DOA truly until he released AOA and PE. Regardless of their artistic merit they are the worst selling non-instrumental albums of his career. And HNR? Big flop. WB had the right idea for Prince. One album per year max to prevent over-saturation and what's the first thing Prince does with his "freedom"? Release a 3 CD 36 song album followed by NPS and Crystal Ball not long after. Plus the Music Club? Too much Prince too soon. Personally with the passage of time I have found plenty to enjoy from his open floodgates. Thank the Lerrrd for cd-r burners.

[Edited 12/1/15 19:46pm]

He deinitely still 'has' it but can he 'find' it?

homesquid said:

funksterr said:

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

While I think LoveSexy was the final stroke in his genius streak what you say about his music being DOA is crazy. The very album after LoveSexy was a huge commercial hit. Over 5 million sold worldwide- his best since Purple Rain. Artitiscally? Well, yeah he streamlined his approach to a more commercial viable sound but remember LoveSexy was considered somewhat of a flop commercially so he had every right to want to be back on top. So the movie boosted sales, ok. Yes Graffiti Bridge was a fun album but the wretched movie dommed it. Yet Prince bounced back in a big way with Diamonds And Pearls (double platinum plus USA/Over 5 million wor;dwide) and the hot streak was still going when he started bitching about his record label. Prince ruined his own career as a hitmaker but his music was not DOA truly until he released AOA and PE. Regardless of their artistic merit they are the worst selling non-instrumental albums of his career. And HNR? Big flop. WB had the right idea for Prince. One album per year max to preven over-saturation and what's the first thing Prince does with his "freedom"? Release a 3 CD 36 song album followed by NPS and Crystal Ball not long after. Pus the Music Club? Too much Prince too soon. Personally witht he passage of time I have found plenty to enjoy from his open floodgates. Thank the Lerrrd for cd-r burners.

That was all about the BATMAN logo, not Prince. Fair point about AOA/PE/HnR being the undeniable true rockbottom and there being some passable productions here or there along the way. But, big picture, Prince didn't truly deserve to release as much music under WB as he did toward the end of his deal. He was clearly running on fumes, and grasping at straws even at that point. It was outtake release time waaaaay back in 1995. And nothing he has done in the 20 years since then even comes close to what we might have had with outtakes and live video releases from the 80's over that period instead.

EroticDreamer said:

He deinitely still 'has' it but can he 'find' it?

homesquid said:

funksterr said:

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

While I think LoveSexy was the final stroke in his genius streak what you say about his music being DOA is crazy. The very album after LoveSexy was a huge commercial hit. Over 5 million sold worldwide- his best since Purple Rain. Artitiscally? Well, yeah he streamlined his approach to a more commercial viable sound but remember LoveSexy was considered somewhat of a flop commercially so he had every right to want to be back on top. So the movie boosted sales, ok. Yes Graffiti Bridge was a fun album but the wretched movie dommed it. Yet Prince bounced back in a big way with Diamonds And Pearls (double platinum plus USA/Over 5 million wor;dwide) and the hot streak was still going when he started bitching about his record label. Prince ruined his own career as a hitmaker but his music was not DOA truly until he released AOA and PE. Regardless of their artistic merit they are the worst selling non-instrumental albums of his career. And HNR? Big flop. WB had the right idea for Prince. One album per year max to preven over-saturation and what's the first thing Prince does with his "freedom"? Release a 3 CD 36 song album followed by NPS and Crystal Ball not long after. Pus the Music Club? Too much Prince too soon. Personally witht he passage of time I have found plenty to enjoy from his open floodgates. Thank the Lerrrd for cd-r burners.

BATMAN has sold over 4 million worldwide, never went 5 million. Certified 2x Platinum by RIAA in the U.S. alone.

Diamonds & Pearls is Prince's second best selling album with sales over 6.7 million worldwide.

Purple Rain has an estimated 25 million plus sales being certified 13x Platinum in the U.S. by RIAA.

Third is 1999 with sales of over 6.4 million worldwide, being certified 4x Platinum in the U.S. alone.

TOP 5 BEST SELLING PRINCE ALBUMS:

1. PURPLE RAIN: 25M

2. DIAMONDS & PEARLS: 6M

3. 1999: 6M

4. BATMAN: 4M

5. AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY: 4M

EroticDreamer said:

He deinitely still 'has' it but can he 'find' it?

no..will he release it

feeluupp said:

TOP 5 BEST SELLING PRINCE ALBUMS:

1. PURPLE RAIN: 25M

2. DIAMONDS & PEARLS: 6M

3. 1999: 6M

4. BATMAN: 4M

5. AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY: 4M

Not this equating sales with quality shit again..

lezama said:

feeluupp said:

TOP 5 BEST SELLING PRINCE ALBUMS:

1. PURPLE RAIN: 25M

2. DIAMONDS & PEARLS: 6M

3. 1999: 6M

4. BATMAN: 4M

5. AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY: 4M

Not this equating sales with quality shit again..

Only u r im afraid... I just mentioned the top 5 best selling Prince albums. Didn't mention anything about sales eequating quality, so don't bring it up.

[Edited 12/1/15 17:52pm]

feeluupp said:

lezama said:

Not this equating sales with quality shit again..

Only u r im afraid... I just mentioned the top 5 best selling Prince albums. Didn't mention anything about sales qauting quality, so don't bring it up.

For an artist to generate big sales requires the work of a shitload of people promoting it. That he stopped selling a lot has to do with his sabotaging of his relationship with WB, his decisions to release things he shouldnt have and to not release other things he should have, to not promote what she should have and promote what she shouldn't have, to not listen to plenty of people who tries to steer him in certain directions and a ton of other decisions. Little of that has to do with the quality of what he was doing in the studio.

lezama said:

feeluupp said:

Only u r im afraid... I just mentioned the top 5 best selling Prince albums. Didn't mention anything about sales qauting quality, so don't bring it up.

For an artist to generate big sales requires the work of a shitload of people promoting it. That he stopped selling a lot has to do with his sabotaging of his relationship with WB, his decisions to release things he shouldnt have and to not release other things he should have, to not promote what she should have and promote what she shouldn't have, to not listen to plenty of people who tries to steer him in certain directions and a ton of other decisions. Little of that has to do with the quality of what he was doing in the studio.

r u talking to urself?

funksterr said:

Aerogram said:

funksterr said:

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

Not really, because it's 2015 and you're here, feeling like it's important to c comment on his work.

last few years there's been posters who r here to dump on him for some reason.....sent by someone

Aerogram said:

funksterr said:

'Over-saturated the market', lol. There hasn't been a market for Prince since, like, Reagan-Bush was a thing. WB marketed the hell out of a lot of bad music there at the end of their original deal with Prince. Everybody other label just attempted to ride the coat-tails of the memory of what WB did with Prince. Honestly Prince's music has been DOA since roughly LoveSexy.

Not really, because it's 2015 and you're here, feeling like it's important to c comment on his work.

Work, implies there is artistry in play, and outsourcing a bunch of remixes to a rookie paisley staffer and calling it an album just so he can feel he's showing-up the WB execs... ain't artistry. It's pettiness.

We've been losing... for like 20 years or so... while Prince makes excuses about his contract.

So yeah now that you mention I do feel it's important to comment. That's how much I love the REAL PRINCE music.

funksterr said:

Aerogram said:

funksterr said: Not really, because it's 2015 and you're here, feeling like it's important to c comment on his work.

Work, implies there is artistry in play, and outsourcing a bunch of remixes to a rookie paisley staffer and calling it an album just so he can feel he's showing-up the WB execs... ain't artistry. It's pettiness.

We've been losing... for like 20 years or so... while Prince makes excuses about his contract.

So yeah now that you mention I do feel it's important to comment. That's how much I love the REAL PRINCE music.

No "we" haven't been losing. YOU have apparently been losing your time that long.

There are plenty of acts that truly stopped mattering at all in 1989 -- but you're trolling here, not on these acts' websites.

It's sad for you, but your hobby contradicts your argument.

I know good and well that brotha still got it. He never lost it. He just "gets better with time..."